


Accept No Substitute

by schneefink



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-27 07:34:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6275437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schneefink/pseuds/schneefink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Geno has a problem with the backup goalie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Accept No Substitute

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to snickfic for beta.

"Did I do something to piss Geno off?" Matty asked after practice one day.

"What?" Marc asked, surprised. "What did you do?"

"I don't know." His backup shrugged and looked away. "I just get the feeling he doesn't like me much."

"It's probably just G being G," Marc said. He hadn't noticed anything amiss, but he resolved to pay closer attention.

 

He'd thought that Matty was exaggerating, or thought that Geno was actually angry when he was just joking around. That happened every once in a while with rookies, and it usually took a few weeks and someone playing a silly prank on Geno for the rookies to stop being careful around him. Matty had already spent some time with them last season and Marc thought he'd become more comfortable around them. He'd been quiet at the beginning of training camp without Zats to cheer him up and make him talk, but he'd slowly thawed.

It was clear that Geno didn't have an issue with Matty on the ice. He trusted him to do his job and make the saves he needed to. Matty deserved it: he'd continued his very solid play from last season, and in his second game he'd made 36 saves to get them the win. He was still getting better, too.

However, after a few days Marc realized that Matty was right. It wasn't anything overt, and Geno didn't ignore Matty completely, but he joked around and "accidentally" bumped into everyone but him. Marc wouldn't have noticed if Matty hadn't said anything. Now that he was looking it was easy to see how Geno walked past Matty in the locker room without once talking to him.

If it had been anyone else, Marc would probably have gone to Sid and asked him for help. Sid was the captain, things like this were his to deal with. But Matty was Marc's backup, his rookie that he felt responsible for, and Marc would fix this.

 

"Hey, G," Marc said casually, "you have a minute?"

"Sure," Geno said readily and followed him into the trainer's room. "Why?"

"What's your problem with Matty?" Marc asked directly. 

"I don't have problem with him," Geno said. "Is good goalie."

"Bullshit. You don't like him."

"Don't know him. All goalies crazy," Geno said with a grin.

"C'mon," Marc said and gave Geno a light shove on the arm. "He's my baby goalie, I have to look out for him, you know?"

For some reason Geno's face became darker at that. 

"He's nice. He thinks you hate him," Marc continued. 

Geno groaned. "Not hate him," he said, looking away. "Is stupid. I talk with him. You happy?"

"What's your problem?" Marc asked again. He was honestly curious. Geno was excellent at holding grudges, but usually not without a reason.

"Just media. Stupid," Geno said. "Forget it."

"Did he say something bad about you to the media?" Marc asked, surprised. 

"No! Just… Media always talk how good he is, you know?"

Marc did know, and he'd happily teased Matty about some of the more effusive articles. "And?"

"I read articles, say team should trade you because he better and cheap." Geno sounded embarrassed. 

"You got mad at him because you thought he's going to replace me?" 

"Told you, stupid." 

It was stupid, but it was also kind of sweet. 

If Marc was very honest with himself, in a way he tried not to be unless it was absolutely necessary, he was aware of the possibility that he might get traded because of Matty. At the very least Matty's play, and Jarry's down in Wilkes-Barre, made it look almost certain that he wasn't going to be re-signed when his current contract was up. 

Marc didn't want to leave the Penguins. This was his team, his home, and he loved it here.

But hockey had a business side, he'd always known that, and dwelling on it didn't help. It would be difficult enough when Kuni's contract was up at the end of the season. Marc had lost good friends before to trades or other teams, and it was hard every time. He'd never lost everyone at once.

Anyway, it wasn't Matty's fault. The kid was just doing the best he could, as every hockey player did. Marc was proud of how well he was doing. And if Marc rarely, very occasionally, and with a vague feeling of shame wondered if Matty would be traded instead of him, nobody had to know. 

"Don't worry, you're not getting rid of me so easy," Marc said.

"I don't want get rid of you," Geno said, unexpectedly serious. "I want you stay here. Penguin always." 

Geno's own contract was for many years, his position as secure as it could get, as were Sid's and Tanger's. From their small group of players who'd been here since almost the beginning, Marc was the odd man out. 

"Yeah." Marc's throat was tight. "Yeah, I want that too." 

It was unlikely to happen. They both knew it.

"Good." Geno yanked Marc into a hug, folding his long arms around him. 

Before Marc could react, Geno had already taken a step back again. "If you not on team, scoring goals in practice not so easy," Geno teased and stuck his tongue out. 

Marc blinked at the mood change. "Hey!" he protested. "Just because other goalies are scared of you-" 

"All goalies. Sad," Geno said, shaking his head, and escaped the room with a laugh when Flower tried to shove him.


End file.
